My boy called me this afternoon and a friend of his Justin called him and told him the catfish are hammering bluegills down at the Coralville reservoir. Justin said he got 17 night before last and 9 last night and threw back everything under 2 pounds and those amounts is what he kept with another guy. He also said their breaking 15 lb. test. Dan came home and got my catfish rod with 50 lb. on it but when they got to the area where Justin caught his fish last night, the water was up to the point where they couldn’t get to the spot from all the recent rains. From personal experience when the water is coming up and flooding the grass and weeds its time to fish in that exact area. Catfish are in there looking for anything to eat and bluegills, crawlers, crawfish and just about anything that swims is good bait. I think I’m going to put the boat in there this weekend and set some dittypoles and see what the flooded grass gets me this year.
A few years ago in the same area where Justin got his fish we had 45 hooks out and put them in at midnight. By the time it just started getting light we had 42 catfish and all came on small bluegills. Anyone in this area that’s looking for a good bite try the flooded grass or willows in a couple feet of water down at the reservoir.